The Heron’s Nest: Chester fast approaching the breaking point

Last week, hours after a violent home invasion in a normally quiet Chester neighborhood, law enforcement authorities swept into the city and arrested two men for .... selling knockoff designer merchandise.

This at a time when many in the city are begging for help in dealing with what is fast becoming a daily occurrence - random gunfire that is keeping many residents prisoners in their homes.

“Are you kidding me?” one city resident complained in a phone call. “This is what they are concentrating on?” It’s a legitimate point.

This week things came to a head.

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Hundreds of people packed a City Council meeting Wednesday night to complaint about violence on city streets, and their lack of faith that city officials - and a troubled police department - are capable of doing anything about it.

In addition to the gunfire that some now say is a routine part of Chester life, they are upset at a recent incident in which a city police officer was seen on videotape punching a woman he was taking into custody, as well as the recently announced probe by the D.A.’s office into the troubles in the police evidence room, including a scope to a rifle that had gone missing for a time. Right up until it became known that questions were being asked, when it suddenly reappeared.

The echoes from those concerned voices at the council meeting had barely drifted off when a familiar sound rang out again on city streets. A 22-year-old man drove for a block before getting out of his vehicle, then collapsing on the campus of Widener University. He was pronouced dead at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

A man was shot and killed - at 11 a.m. - as he drove his Dodge Durango in the Sun Village section of the city.

A few hours later, more gunshots, this time in the West End, critically wounding a 21-year-odl man.

I’ve been told by any number of residents that the streets are not nearly as safe as Mayor John Linder and Police Commissioner Joe Bail insist.

They also don’t know why city officials are so reluctant to ask for help in restoring order on city streets, either from the D.A. or state.

What they do know is this: It’s not going to make city streets a whole lot safer by arresting people for selling counterfeit goods.

Both played on the first baseball team at DCCC back in the early ‘70s.

Denny Ryan was my sister-in-law’s brother. We would cross paths at family functions. He was always the quietest guy in the room. Except when it came to sports.

Spend 10 minutes around Denny, and you quickly understood that sports was his passion.

He was a standout basketball and baseball player. His name was routinely sprinkled in the sports pages of this newspaper during his high school and college career.

He played pickup basketball right up until the time he got sick. Those who played with him said he could shoot the lights out. I don’t doubt that for a minute.

We lost Denny to cancer way too young.

His spirit - and his love of sports - will now live on at Delaware County Community College.

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PHILLIES CONTINUE TO WIN ON LEFT COAST

Usually, a Phillies trip to the West Coast is something akin to a Bataan Death March. The Left Coast has not treated the Phils well in recent years.

That’s why I expected this team to slide into oblivion with this early-season road trip to Denver, L.A. and Phoenix. But that’s not the way it has played out.

The Phillies won again last night, 7-3, with Carlos Ruiz again playing the hero.

The win allows the Phils to climb back to .500 again at 11-11.

The Phils took three of four from the Dodgers, rallying last night in the 9th inning.

With the return of Cole Hamels to a starting rotation that already features Cliff Lee and A.J. Burnett, the Phils will have the ability to be competitive.

The problem is two-fold. Their starters have a tendency not to run deep in games, Lee being the exception to that rule. Last night they got just 5 and 2-3 innings from Kyle Kendricl. That leaves them at the mercy of their bullpen. And that’s going to be a problem.

The Phillies entered last night’s game with a bullpen ERA of 5.64. That’s the worst in the majors.